The town economy is strongly based on fishing and tourism, but has a diverse range of influences, due to the 'Sea Change' phenomena and the large amount of baby boomers who are starting to retire to the warmer climates.[1]

At the , Yamba had a population of 5,514, but as a popular tourist destination, it can triple its population in the holiday period. In 2009 Yamba was voted the number 1 town in Australia by Australian Traveller Magazine.

Yamba is known to have experienced the natural phenomenon known as Sea foam.